


Tonight, the foxes hunt the hounds

by ScarletQueen23



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: F/M, Field Trip, Flash Thompson Being A Jerk, Irondad, Michelle Jones Is a Good Bro, Parent Tony Stark, Post-Canon Fix-It, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-21
Updated: 2019-08-26
Packaged: 2020-09-23 06:51:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20335900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScarletQueen23/pseuds/ScarletQueen23
Summary: Peter and co. go on a field trip to the Stark Tower. Drama ensues.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this has already been done SO MANY times, but here it goes. I'm ignoring a lot of canon here, obviously. The story takes place between Endgame and FFH. Also, this is my first fic so please be gentle with me.

In the city that never sleeps mornings are never quiet. That goes double for a household consisting out of the director of a local non-profit and a teenager who moonlights as a superhero. When Peter was in grade school mornings meant family time. His aunt always insisted that they sit down for breakfast together, no matter how late that might make them. “I never see you anymore” she would explain. “Between school and my late shifts at work, it’s important that we spend at least _ some _time together.” But somewhere between then and now the tradition of the sit-down-breakfast disappeared. Between work and school, decathlon practice and homework, superhero duties and near-death experiences. 

These days mornings had an every-man-for-themselves feel to it. Breakfast consisted out of whatever you could eat before you had run out the door with the side of a “do you need money for lunch?” from aunt May. The Parker household had few rules, but rushing out the door in the morning had quickly become one in the months after the Blip. This particular morning however was a rare and welcome exception form the rule, despite the unexpected wake-up call. The perpetrator; a fire alarm that had the whole apartment building up an at ‘em just after 5.30 in the morning. Thus the sit-down-breakfast tradition had, temporarily, been resurrected. When the alarm clock started ringing at 6.30 AM May was sipping her first coffee of the day while Peter was trying, and failing, to make an omelette.

“You can’t flip it yet Peter, it’s still too raw.” May looked at the yellow mixture in the pan. While it was looking like it might still be turned into an omelette, Peter’s cooking would certainly not get it there. 

“Here, let me show you.” She reached for the spatula in her nephew’s hand with the intention of saving their breakfast, but Peter was having none of it.

“No, I got it.” He said as he successfully flipped the omelette without sending eggs flying everywhere.

“Who knows, maybe you have some of your grandmother's chef genes in there after all,” May said and patted Peter on the back. God knows that only 3 eggs in the trash were certainly an improvement from last time. 

“So, are you excited for today?” May asked when they finished their breakfast, second coffee cup in hand. There was only one thing she could have in mind asking that question; the field trip to the Stark Tower.

“Not particularly,” Peter said while picking on his eggs. Having spent many an evening there after school in the past months there probably wasn’t much that the tower had to offer that Peter hadn’t seen.

“I mean, we might visit some parts of the tower that I haven’t seen before, but none of it will be as exciting as the private labs on the top floors.” He continued. “I’m for the most part looking forward to seeing Ned's reaction to everything.” 

Peter stretched out in his chair and let out a yawn. Maybe he should start drinking coffee too? When you are a superhero that patrols the streets at night and a student that attends school during the day something always gets put on the backburner. For Peter that was usually sleep. Maybe he could sneak away at some point during the trip and catch some sleep. After all place as huge and high-tech as Stark Tower must have a comfy couch hidden somewhere.

* * *

An hour and a couple of subway rides later Peter arrived at Midtown School of Science and Technology. As far as NYC schools go Midtown Tech was not your average high school. All students attending had to join at least one science or technology related after school activity and AP courses were a must, especially for seniors and juniors. If asked, the principal would proudly announce that Midtown Tech is considered “the local breeding ground for future entrepreneurs and engineers.” This statement, while well-intended, wasn’t fully grounded in reality. The hallways were filled with jocks and nerds alike. Students carrying science experiments were no more common than those carrying an art project. 

All in all, Midtown Tech wasn’t far off from a regular school. “Except for one thing.” Peter thought that morning. “Normal schools don’t have a Flash Thompson.” Peter wasn’t under any kind of delusion thinking that bullying only occurred at his school. However Flash was a Midtown Tech-specific problem. There was no way that his parents would let him attend a regular public school with the rest of the peasants. No. This school was Flash’s bread and butter and picking on Peter just came with the territory. He never missed an opportunity to mess with the boy and today was no exception. 

At this point Flash trying to run Peter over with his car every morning has become part of the routine, but it didn’t mean that Peter had gotten used to it. After barely escaping Flashs car with his life he made his way inside and ran into his best friend Ned in the hallway. They did their secret handshake and started chatting about the upcoming trip. 

As they made their way to homeroom, MJ rounded the corner at the end of the hall. It was at this point that Peter unintentionally tuned out Ned's musings on Stark Tower and his focus zeroed in on the girl. MJ was carrying at least 5 in her hands, none of them school-related. Her backpack was hanging from one of her shoulders and she looked dishevelled in such a way that only MJ could pull off. She only looked up as she passed Peter and Ned, the latter still going on about the field trip. Her eyes met Peter’s and she smiled and waved. MJ didn’t smile often. Sure her “I find your suffering hilarious”-smirk was well known throughout the school, but her genuine and friendly smiles were few and far between. As such Peter wasted no time returning the gesture without hesitation.

“Dude, you do know that smiling and waving isn’t gonna get you anywhere?” Ned asked when MJ was out of earshot. “Please tell me that you at least have some kind of plan?”

“I am. I do. I’m working on it, seriously.” He was, at least to a degree. His free time has been sparse as of late. Spider-Man business, school _ and _ a girlfriend? Maybe it’s just _ a little _ more than he can handle. But then he remembered MJ’s smile and the doubts disappeared. He will make it work. Somehow. Maybe.

“Hey, do you know what kind of date _ no one _will even think to say no to?” The gleam in Ned’s eyes was almost blinding. “A private tour of the Stark Tower. The view, the top labs, the whole shebang.” He’s been pestering Peter about it for weeks. In Ned’d mind it was a grave offence that after months of having full access to the tower his own best friend had yet to take him there. “We can do a test run today, I’ll be MJ. Just don’t kiss me or anything” 

“Ned, as I’ve told you before I can’t just bring people to the top labs,” Peter said with as much patience as he could muster. “They might be working on some top secret things, besides there’s a penthouse up there. People _ live _ there, Ned,” Peter let out an annoyed sigh. They’ve had this conversation at least ten times before.

“You live there too sometimes,” Ned was grasping at straws.

“We’ve been over this Ned. Sleeping in the spare room twice isn’t equivalent to living somewhere” 

“It’s actually three times. Remember that time two months ago when you got beat up by tha―”

“Ned,” Peter, his voice harsh. “we made a deal that we’ll never talk about that again.” It wasn’t his fault that the tower sometimes was _ a little _closer than his apartment. Also, he couldn’t just walk into an ER wearing the Iron Spider suit. Sure, May would have stitched him up but not before giving him several earfuls about irresponsible he had been. Not that Tony took it that much better. “Either way, twice or trice, it doesn’t matter. I can’t just bring strangers into someone's house.” 

“I’m just sayin’. You could call and ask,” Ned said, his eyes alight again. “He might not even be there.”

“He isn’t and how does that make things better?.” This conversation was taking an unexpected turn. When did they go from talking about getting Peter a date with MJ to a potential breaking and entering into the house of his mentor? While he was away on business nonetheless. 

“Hold on a minute,” Ned looked at him eyebrows furrowed. “He doesn’t know that you’ll be at the tower today?”

“No. But it’s no big deal because I won’t be going higher than the 20th floor. Either way, I just saw him not even two weeks ago.” Peter shrugged. Having just spent all of Spring Break with the Stark family at the lakehouse he didn’t think to let Tony know about the trip. Peter would hate to force his mentor away from his duties over something so minor. If the prospect of entertaining a bunch of bright-eyed teenagers was even minimally more interesting than the business at hand, Tony waste no time flying back to NYC. And Peter was very aware of this. 

“I can just come and visit another time, I’m always in the neighbourhood.”

“Com’ on dude, please? For me?” Ned’s best attempt at the puppy dog eyes made him look like a horrified chihuahua. But damn if Peter didn’t have a soft spot for that chihuahua.

“Fine, okay, _ maybe _ if we have some spare time and we manage to get away I can show you the projects that Tony and I are working on.” At the sound of that Ned squealed like a teenage girl. He started waving his hands around in an attempt at a dance move that Peter didn’t recognize. 

“But I’m not promising anything,” Peter tried to lower his expectations without crushing them. “I’m not getting in trouble over this.”

“You know what?” Ned said when he, at last, got his emotions under control. “ I bet MJ wouldn’t mind seeing those projects of yours some time when it’s just the two of you.” Ned wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and nudged Peter’s side.

“Shut up or I’ll change my mind,” Peter said without sparing his friend another glance and walked into their homeroom class. Ned followed him without a word while making a zipper motion over his lips.

* * *

“... and as I’m sure you are aware, no drinks or food in the labs. This is basic stuff, people. You know all of this.” Monica Warren was standing in the front of the school bus and going over the rules for the trip for the umpteenth time. She was a no-nonsense teacher with a low tolerance for BS which made her the perfect teacher for the job. The job, of course, consisted of babysitting thirty teenagers in a building full of labs worth millions of dollars. Piece of cake right? “And lastly, remember that you’re representing Midtown Tech, so think before you act, alright? One last thing, don’t forget to enjoy yourselves this is a unique opportunity.” She got a few nods in response and not much more. Seeing that she had lost most of the students before they even left the school grounds she decided to warp ut her little monologue. 

As soon as Mrs Warren sat down the noise level on the bus went from 0 to 100. People were chatting, both with each other and with their cameras. The anticipation of the trip and the warm weather outside resulted in such high spirits that even the bus driver was nodding along to a song that some kid in the front put on. The only person immune to the vibe was, unsurprisingly, MJ. She had taken the seat across the aisle form Ned and Peter giving the latter a perfect opportunity to steal looks in her direction without looking too much like a creep.

MJ was writing something in the notebook on her lap. _ Probably something smart _, Peter though. Her mind was always three to five steps ahead of everyone else's and she was the only member of the decathlon team whose book smarts translated into street smarts. Although in MJ’s case it could have been the other way around. Either way, she was just as smart as she was witty and twice as observant. Nothing slipped past MJ. Well, hardly anything. When Peter told Tony about her he praised MJ’s intellect so much it scared Tony to death that she might work out his secret identity. What resulted was a crash course on how to “control your public persona”, as Tony put it, led by the one and only Pepper “the Press Whisperer” Potts. Whether or not it worked was yet to be determined.

Flash flopping down on the seat behind the boys interrupted Peter’s musings. 

“Hey, Penis Parker,” he said in a mocking voice. The sneer that he was wearing had at this point become a part of his face. “Maybe instead of the guide showing us around you could do it, you know since you work there and stuff...” 

Peter opened his mouth to say something. Anything. He was already getting sick of Flash’s voice and it wasn’t even lunchtime. However, Flash wasn’t finished talking. How astonishing indeed.

“...o wait, no you don’t, especially not after you Bliped. Like seriously, no one holds an intern position open for 5 years for some punk from Queens.” Flash threw his head back in laughter as if he had just told the joke of the century.

“You know that’s exactly why he has that internship right?” Ned tried to talk over Flash’s cackling. He was only partly successful. Flash looked at him from the corner for his eye but he didn’t seem overly interested in what the boy was actually saying. 

Ned’s statement wasn’t a lie… exactly. In the aftermath of the Blip many organizations, including the September foundation and the Stark Relief Foundation, were (and still are) working hard to ensure that the Bliped population gets a smooth (or a smooth as it’s gonna get) reintroduction to society. Many companies opened their doors to those who woke up in this brand new world to help them rebuilt their lives. A job was the first, and arguably the most important, step in this process. This was Peter’s cover story. Of course, a gifted boy from a single income household, all of whose members were Bliped, would be given special treatment. But Flash was having none of it. 

“Keep talking, I still know the truth,” he said in a know-it-all manner. “You’ll be lucky if you ever breathe the same air as Tony Stark much less work for him! Bliped or not, how would you even land that job anyway? Did he run you over with his car and that was a part of the settlement?” Cue another round of laughter. This one so uncontrollable Flash almost fell out of his seat. Peter tried to say something about a program for gifted students but Flash couldn’t hear anything over the sound of his own laughter. After he eventually managed to catch his breath he added: “Either way we’ll be there soon and then everyone will―”.

“His great deception will soon be unravelled, yes we got it.” MJ had stopped writing in her notebook and was giving Flash a death glare so severe it should have left second-degree burns. “Do you mind gloating about it in silence until then, preferably far away from me?”. She said in a condescending tone and proceeded to put on the phoniest smile Peter had ever seen on her. 

“Why do you even care?” Flash was confused. So was Peter. MJ usually took minding-her-own-business to a ridiculous level. _ But they were friends, right? _ Peter though and felt a surge of hope. _ If they were friends maybe they could become more? Eventually. _

“I’m just sayin’. It isn't over till the fat lady sings so until then neither should you.” With that MJ turned away and put in her headphones indicating that this conversation was over. Flash looked at the girl, blissfully speechless for once. He left without another word but sent Peter one last dirty look on the way back to his original seat.

* * *

The ceiling in the reception area was at least 5 stories high. Peter had a feeling that his entire apartment building could fit comfortably inside the room. And then there would _ still _ be space leftover for the in-house cafe and bakery. There was glass _ everywhere _. The person who designed the interior of the place clearly didn’t believe in the value of privacy. The rooms were divided alright, but if you stood in the right spot you could see from one end of the building to the other. Peter quite liked the illusion of open space though, but as someone who regularly swung on web from one end of town to the other, he supposed it was to be expected. 

The workday was about to begin. The tower was buzzing with people like a beehive in the middle of pollen season. Employees were chatting among themselves, gesticulating lively and pointing out things on their tablets or documents. Innovation was Stark Industries’ main goal and nowhere was that more evident than here. In the Stark Tower people walked with purpose as if they’ve never known anything else in their lives. The group of teenagers gathered around the information desk couldn’t provide more of a contrast if they tried. Their jeans and t-shirts looked sloppy amongst lab coats, pencil skirts, and blazers. Even Flash’s polo shirt and brand new Levi’s weren’t up to scratch. Peter caught the look on his face when that realization dawned on him and that alone was enough for Peter to make up for Flash’s shenanigans on the bus earlier. His only regret was that he didn’t have enough time to snap a photo before Flash half-hid behind one of the modern art pieces that decorated the space as if trying to blend in with it.

“Okay, everyone,” Mrs Warren was standing next to a woman wearing a blazer imprinted with the Stark Industries logo. She was dressed just as professionally as her fellow employees, but the friendly smile on her face made her look younger and less stern than the rest of them. “This is Emily, she’ll be our guide today.” 

“Hello. Could everyone please follow me to the conference room for some information.” Emily paved her way through the crowd, with the group following closely behind, leading the way further into the building and inside one of the adjoined conference rooms. As soon as everyone was inside and seated Emily took her place at the far end of the table and began her presentation. “Hello and welcome. Today we will visit several of the science facilities situated in the Stark Tower. The first place we will visit today is a control room that monitors the energy output of the arc reactor and makes sure that everything is in working order.” An animation of the tower appeared on the screen behind Emily and the camera zoomed in on one of the labs on the tenth floor. Some photos of the lab and last year’s statistics on the power output of the reactor followed. “The second one is an exposition about new and planned appliances of the arc reactor technology.” This time the camera moved a couple of floors higher and photos of a room full of project models appeared. “This will be followed by a presentation about Stark Industries as a company. You will learn a lot about what we do, both domestically and abroad, as well as upcoming projects that we will be working on within the next couple of years. After we will have a lunch break when you’ll have access to our cafeteria. And last but certainly not least we will visit the Avengers exhibit on the thirtieth floor which, if you ask me, is the best part of the trip.” A couple of students started clapping and a few cheers sounded in the room. It was clear that this wasn’t Emily’s first rodeo as she looked neither surprised nor annoyed if anything her smile got a little wider. Mrs Warren was a whole other story. “In the end, you’ll have some free time to explore certain predetermined areas of the tower on your own.” Something nudged Peter’s side. A look to his right confirmed that it was Ned who looked at Peter with eyes full of mischief. Peter nudged him right back with a look that said: “take it down a notch”, but before he could tell Ned anything Emily spoke up again.

“Does anyone have any questions before we start?” Emily looked around the room, her eyes filled with expectation.

“Excuse me, Miss,” No one was surprised when Flash raised his hand seemingly with a burning question in mind. First as always. “Is it possible for, say,… me, to get an internship in this place?” Peter looked at Flash with wide eyes. He should have expected this, really. There was no way that Flash would let this go, even after the tongue lashing he got from MJ earlier. Peter didn’t even know why he hoped that Flash will get sick of the whole thing. Well, they say do hope dies last. 

“We are always looking for fresh talent to introduce to our jr. developmental research department.” Emily’s voice was kind but it was clear that she had answered this specific question before and that Flash wouldn’t like what he was about to hear. Something told Peter that the boy was going to like the answer just fine.”We definitely like to hire students in hopes of finding invaluable future employees however most of those internship programs are only for college students. Exceptions can be made however, you do have to be eighteen to qualify.” Emily gave Flash a look of pity and the boy nodded with a solemn expression on his face, but Peter wasn’t fooled.

“Your teacher tells me that most of you are sophomores and juniors, so you still have some ways to go but like I said we are always on the lookout for new talent, so I encourage you to apply as soon as you turn 18 and study hard until then.” Emily gave the group an encouraging smile, happy to promote her company to students who seemed genuinely interested. Peter hoped for her sake that she didn’t see Flash mouth “I got you now Parker” in his direction. Just because Flash wanted to make a game out of the whole presentation didn’t mean that no one else was interested. 

“You mentioned that you have to be 18 to be an intern in the developmental department. How about other places?” This was the second time that day that MJ came to Peter’s rescue without realizing it. If he hadn’t put the girl on a pedestal yet he was certainly going to do it now.

“Well, we do organize for some high school students to shadow various employees for a day or two,” Emily said carefully. “If we believe that the student has potential this might go up to a week, however, underage students generally don’t have long term internships here.” The woman took a moment to think. She got a conflicted look on her face but ultimately started talking albeit in a lower voice.”Having said that I am sure that exceptions have been made in the past and can be made in the future however, this is incredibly rare, so I would not get my hopes up.” She schooled her features and spoke up again. “As far as internships go I think every single person in the room has a very good chance at landing one of the positions I mentioned before. We have had several students that graduated from Midtown Tech here that have achieved great things. I strongly encourage you to apply for those when you become of age.” The room got quiet for a good minute while everyone tried to comprehend what they’ve just heard. As soon as Flash grasped the full meaning of Emily’s words, he gave Peter such a venomous look that if it hadn’t been for his mutated DNA he surely would have dropped dead on the spot.

Luckily before things potentially got physical Emily announced that they have to get going as to not be late to their first stop. Peter made sure to walk out last. As far away from Flash as he could.

* * *

Being around so many high tech gadgets in the last months all but ruined any kind of tech-related exhibits for Peter. All science-related museums that New York City had to offer was nothing compared to Tony’s as good as omnipotent superhero suits. Having said that, Peter actually enjoyed himself during the guided tour. The arc reactor control room had gotten several upgrades since Peter’s last visit which made the experience more interesting than he anticipated. He made a mental note of several questions regarding the reactor that he would later send to Tony. Even their next stop, the arc technology expo, provided some interesting insights. The presentation on Stark Industries was the only low point. Peter did _ a lot _of research post-Bilp, a great deal of it on the company in question (a no-brainer really when you have the CEO as a source) and thus felt no guilt when he nodded off halfway through. 

When lunchtime rolled around Peter had concluded that the day had (mostly) turned around. He had learned quite a lot, napped and successfully avoided Flash since they left the conference room. He counted on Flash’s ability to always be centre stage and Flash didn’t disappoint. He asked a ton of questions and chatted with Emily between the stops on the tour. However, Peter didn’t believe for a minute that the boy would just let go of this feud between them. Having known Flash for years he was certain that he will not stop digging until he finds something. He was a force to be reckoned with in an academic decathlon team, but not so much when he was obsessed with finding dirt on Peter. Something had to be done. 

Ned and Peter hung back a little from the rest of the group for the most time during the tour, Ned asking a hundred questions a minute. Occasionally MJ would join them and strike up a conversation. The otherwise dormant butterflies in Peter’s stomach would soar up and he would stutter and struggle to find words. Thankfully MJ didn’t seem to notice or if she did, it didn’t show. He didn’t expect anything less from MJ.

Ned never stopped dropping hints about visiting the lab that Peter talked about earlier that day. Since they were do have some free time at the end of the guided tour it was a given that they will spend that time in the lab where Peter and Tony tinkered on their projects. Peter had given up on trying to talk him down. There was nothing he could say to convince his friend that it was a bad idea anyway. So he decided to take Ned’s advice and text Tony.

**Peter: ** _ hey is it okay if i take some friends and show them the projects we have been working on? _

**Tony:** _sure, as long as u don’t show them any of the superhero stuff and it should be fine. _

** _Tony: _ ** _ tell u what, why don’t you bring them to the tower sometime this weekend and we can make a day out of it. i’ll even give u guys an exclusive tour. _

**Peter:** _that sounds great, but actually we are here on a school field trip today, so i just thought i might as well do it today._

**Tony: ** _ wait _

**Tony: ** _ u are at the tower today? _

**Peter: ** _ yeah, it’s a school trip. but we are only looking at some labs and expos, nothing above the 30th floor so it’s not really a big deal so i didn’t want to bother you. _

**Tony: ** _ just go ahead and show them what you’d like, we can do the tour another day, have fun _

**Peter: ** _ thanks, i will _

_ That was less than ideal _ , Peter thought. He had half a mind to text Pepper so she could make sure that Tony wouldn’t run out of whatever meeting he was in, to rush back to New York. Peter ultimately decided against it hoping that a marriage and a child woke up a deeply buried sense of responsibility in the man. He _ had _been gone five years after all. At least Ned will be pleased and he just might have a plan on how to stop Flash’s digging before it is too late.

After lunch came the much-anticipated tour of the Avengers exhibit. The group of teenagers behaving increasingly like a group of first graders as they walked up the stairs to the designated floor. When Emily opened the door to the exhibit hall a collective “wow” erupted from the crowd. Peter shuddered at the view. In glass casings across the entire floor were replicas of Avengers gear. Cap’s shield, Iron Man suit, Thor’s hammer. It was all there. The view brought back so many memories. Of Berlin, of New York, of Titan. _ Nope, not today, _ Peter thought and followed Ned into the room.

“Okay, this is the end of our program”, Emily said when the tour of the exhibit came to a close. “As promised you can now walk around and look at some other expos we have here. You can go anywhere on floors 6 through 9, the descriptions of exhibits located on these floors can be found online. Access to any other floors above the ground floor is for employees only so don’t try to go anywhere else. The elevator will not take you to these floors without a keycard and the doors to the staircases on these floors are access restricted as well. Aside from that thank you for coming today and I hoped that you enjoyed your trip and learned a lot.” Emily smiled and curtsied when the group gave her a round of applause. 

“Wait for just a second, folks,” said Mrs Warren before they could disperse. “You now have one and a half hours to explore on your own.” She looked at her watch. “We meet down in the reception area 14.30 sharp to take the bus back. I will take time people, if you are not there on time you will receive after school detention so don’t try me. Have fun.” The students didn’t need to be told twice.

“We need to find Flash,” Peter said to Ned while stretching his neck to try and listen for Flash’s voice. 

“What? Why?” Ned was flabbergasted. His friend spent the entire day avoiding the bully. Why the change of heart?

“Because,” Peter said trying to sound nonchalant. “I’m going to show you guys some of the projects that I’ve been working on.” 

Ned stopped in his tracks with a sceptical look on his face. “Why would you want to show _ him _ that?”

“Because,” Peter said dragging Ned along. “No matter how much of an idiot Flash is if I show him proof that I am in fact Mr Starks intern he will leave the whole thing alone. Facts are facts even Flash knows that and right now the facts are working against us.”

“What are you talking about? Why do you care what he thinks anyway?” Ned didn’t look one bit convinced. He forced Peter to a stop and looked at him.

“Because you know Flash. He won’t stop until he figures out what’s going on. Why am I late every other day? Why did I quit almost all of my after school clubs? Why am I suddenly able to do 20 situps like it’s a piece of cake? He doesn’t believe that I intern here. Emily confirmed his suspicion just this morning. Now that he is almost certain that I’m lying he will want to know why.” Words came out of Peter’s mouth at twice the usual speed. “He won’t stop digging until he finds something, I just have to make sure that that something isn’t my secret superhero identity. Also, the guy records every second of his life. He would never keep this to himself―”

“Peter, he is just a kid,” Ned said, his voice steady and calm.

“He is a stray bullet. Can we please just do this Ned?” Peter pleaded. “For me?”

Ned looked at his friend and thought about it for a little while. It was worth a try if it could get Flash off their backs. He has been on Peter’s case for almost a year now and didn’t seem like he would move on anytime soon unless they helped him along. 

“Fine, let’s find him,” Ned threw his hands up in defeat and started looking for a dark head of hair and a polo shirt. 

“Thanks, Ned,” Peter breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ll make it up to you I promise.”

“Yeah, yeah, let’s just find him and get on with it.” They made their way across the room, but the number of people made it difficult to see much of anything. Ned scanned the crowd once more. “He’s over there!”

They walked over to Flash who was photographing the heck out of a hologram showing a sped-up version of the tower's construction. “Hey Flash,” Peter said and stood next to the boy. Flash let his surprise show for just a moment before he put on the sneer he had reserved exclusively for Peter.

“Hey Parker, enjoying your first visit to the tower?” He put extra emphasis on “first”. Ned had had to physically restrain himself from rolling his eyes. Because of course, it wasn’t Flash’s first visit. He never missed an opportunity to brag about his (parents’) connections, it wouldn’t surprise Peter if Flash had his first visit scheduled before the tower was even built. 

“Yeah about that. How about I’ll prove you wrong?” Flash’s eyebrows almost reached his hairline in surprise. He looked Peter square in the eyes ready to call his bluff, but Peter held his gaze, unwilling to bulge. “You walk around telling everyone that I’m a fake and a liar. If I prove you wrong will you stop?” 

“I’m a man of science so…” Flash paused for a moment before he continued with a steady voice. “ If you can prove it, which I doubt, then yeah I’ll leave it alone.”

“So we have a deal?” Peter said and held out his hand.

“We have a deal.” The boys shook hands in agreement.

_ Here goes nothing. _


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me preface this by saying that I never expected that so many people will be interested in (and actually like) something I've written. Thank you to everyone who read this, left kudos or took some time to leave a comment, I really appreciate it.
> 
> If you have any prompts that you would like me to put my spin on please let me know.

They opted out of using the elevators in the expo room. No one was supposed to know about their little excursion so Peter led them out through a side door and into an office space. The room was empty and there wasn’t much there except a few cubicles but a look behind an opaque glass wall at the far end of the room revealed an elevator. Peter pushed the “up” button several times, eager to get out of there. The silence made the room feel eerily and abandoned. The hustle and bustle of the expo room, as well as the city outside, felt distant. Peter considered whistling just out of the sheer need to fill the silence in the room, but before he could come to a conclusion the problem solved itself with the arrival of the elevator. “Fifteenth floor” the gender-neutral voice announced through the speakers as the trio boarded the elevator. The doors closed behind them, but the elevator remained motionless.

“Now what?” Flash said with a hint of impatience and a whole lot of annoyance in his voice.

“Hold on a minute, jeez,” Peter said and came to stand in front of the elevator control panel. He found the hidden scanner and put his thumb to it. 

“Please confirm identity” Both Ned and Flash jumped about ten feet in the air at the sound of F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s voice over the intercom. 

“Parker, Peter”

“Identity confirmed, welcome back Peter”

“Eighty Fifth floor please, F.R.I.D.A.Y.”, and just like that the elevator was finally moving. Silence filled the space again as the boys watched the floor indicator rise, anxiously awaiting the end of the trip. The promise on the other side of that door growing along with the number of floors they passed.

“Nothing to say Flash?” Ned asked when they passed the sixtieth floor.

“I yet to see anything other than the elevator, so no”, Flash said with a surprising amount of dignity. He had a tendency to be quite pig-headed when he wanted to be if the last couple of hours were anything to go by. “I will take a page out of MJ’s book and say that it ain’t over till the fat lady sings”.

“I’d be prepared for a whole choir of them if I were you,” Ned said confidently, but before Flash could come up with a witty remark of his own the elevator stopped. 

“We have reached the eighty-fifth floor”, F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s voice sounded over the speakers again and the door opened revealing a semi-dark hallway. 

“Thanks, F.R.I.D.A.Y.” Peter waved up to the camera in the corner of the elevator and stepped out to trigger the light sensors in the hallway. As the lights gradually intensified it was easier to make out the lab tables on either side of the room behind the glass wall. It was clear from scribbles on the whiteboards and stray sheets paper that the lab was in regular use.

“This lab is mostly for the night owls people working overtime. They rarely show up before six pm” Peter explained the emptiness of the lab as he led the way down the glass hallway. They took a left at the end hall and stopped in front of one of the inconspicuous-looking doors. 

“F.R.I.D.A.Y., requesting access to storage unit S085016b,” Peter said and looked up at the small camera above the door.

“Standby for verification… access granted” F.R.I.D.A.Y. announced and a click sounded from the door. Peter opened it and ushered the boys in while looking around in the hallway, giving the staircase door down the hall an extra look. Security sometimes used it during random sweeps and he didn’t feel like explaining to a security guard why he brought two non-employees to a secure lab.

Once inside Peter wasted no time showing off his favourite non-superhero related projects that filled the shelves in the small room. Ned’s demeanour went from “scaredy-cat” to “kid in a toyshop” in less than five seconds. He was in awe of his friend’s inventiveness. Flash wasn’t nearly as impressed. He stood off to the side, leaning against one of the shelves. His face revealed nothing of his thoughts or feelings, but judging by his silence it was clear that Flash wasn’t pleased. He watched the prototypes closely but made no comments, Flash had for once let someone else be the centre of attention. 

“So what do you think?”, Peter gave Flash an expectant look. He tried not to look too smug and actually managed to suppress his smile for a good couple of seconds before he gave in. He had dreamed about wiping Flash’s stupid smile of his face for months. He might as well enjoy it. Flash looked at a loss for words, like a fish out of water in more ways than one. He was fidgeting with a spare electric motor, suddenly very interested in the loose cables hanging from it. 

“Well…” Flash said slowly. He wasn’t bound to finish that sentence though. The sound of footsteps from the other side of the door captured everyone’s undivided attention. Peter slowly crept to what looked like a small AC control panel next to the door. Heavy tension settled in the room.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y. activate discrete mode” Peter whispered into the panel. 

“Discrete mode activated” F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s voice came through the speaker on the panel, the volume matching Peter’s.

“Who is outside in the hallway?”

“Michael Richardson and Jeremy Abbott. Both currently employed in building security.”

“Shit” Peter’s eyes went wide. 

“What is it?” Ned whispered.

“Nothing,” Peter said in an attempt to remedy the situation. From the look on his companions’ faces, he was failing miserably. “We just have to wait until those security guards leave and we’ll be fine.”

“But we didn’t do anything wrong,” Ned said with confusion in his voice.

“Well…” Peter couldn’t believe that the situation brought out his inner Flash. “Technically we shouldn’t be here”. The practice wasn’t _ exactly _illegal, but it was frowned upon by other employees and Peter had some reservations whether a text message from his “boss’s” private number could count as a permission slip when push came to shove. 

“What do you mean _ technically _?” Ned exclaimed while Flash blurted out “did you break in?”.

“No!” Peter whispered as loudly as he could. “I’ll explain later. Just be quiet and we’ll be fine.”

When Peter later tells this story to MJ at the bus it is at this point that Ned interrupts him with “famous last words”, because only seconds later the door to the storage unit opened. 

* * *

“Would you boys like to explain why you were found in a storage unit of a secure and access restricted lab on the 85th floor after being told _ explicitly _that you were not to go anywhere outside the predetermined area?” Mrs Warren looked at the boys seated at the desk across from her. The head of security sitting next to her was even more interested in the answer. Having dozens of guards in addition to an all present AI made Stark Tower more secure than fort Knox. The simple act of walking through the main entrance triggered at least 3 cameras. The AI could dig up your entire life story before you even made it to the elevator. An elevator, by the way, the required a security pass to work. If three teenagers could simply walk into a secure lab he might as well kiss his job goodbye.

Peter was about to answer but both Ned and Flash beat him to it. “Peter just wanted to show us where he works, we didn’t break in or anything. The AI let us in―” Ned explained while Flash tried his best to pass on the blame to someone, anyone, else. “Parker here had something to prove.” He said with a shrug. “It was all his idea. I almost started to believe that he worked her―”.

“Enough!” It was clear that Mrs Warren was at the end of her tether. Things never went completely smoothly on these trips, but she never expected that three of her best-behaved students would get into trouble, much less go breaking the law. “Peter?” Mrs Warren looked at him hoping for an acceptable explanation. She prayed that this was some kind of misunderstanding. 

Peter looked at her and then at the head of security wondering how truthful he should be. He never really had to explain his presence in the tower to anyone. Peter was pretty much always accompanied by a senior employee (or most often an Avenger) that knew him so his presence was never questioned. His biometrics were in the part of F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s database reserved for family and friends of the higher-ups which meant that the AI always let him in without having to deal with security. On top of that, he got his security clearance assigned by Tony himself in order to have access to the labs. This limited contact protected Peter’s identity both as Peter Parker and as Spider-Man. 

“I just… I just wanted to show them where I work.” _ Lies have a tendency to quickly become difficult to keep track of _ , Pepper said in her crash course, _ get as close to the truth as you can _. She would be proud. 

“So what you are saying is that you are an intern here, in the tower?” Mrs Warren, however, didn’t seem convinced. Neither did the head of security, while both Flash and Ned glanced at Peter with a hopeful look.

“Yes….?” Peter said carefully while his senses all but screamed at him “it’s a trap!”. As always they were right.

“Can you explain then, why you have no employee credentials and why you are not in the employee database?” Mrs Warren said, disappointment blooming in her eyes. Peter felt the look of pity on her face in his very soul. He never wanted to disappoint anyone but Mrs Warren usually put a lot of trust in her students. I would be a shame to see that trust broken just because Peter couldn’t take 5 minutes out of his day to have F.R.I.D.A.Y. make him a key card if only for formality's sake. 

“I forgot it at home.” Peter mumbled, knowing full well that he was only digging himself deeper into a hole of his own making. 

“Okay, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt.” The head of security spoke up for the first time since they entered the room. His words were meant as a kindness but had no calming effect. “Can you tell me anything about this internship of yours? What’s your job title? Who is your boss? Who hired you?” 

Peter’s chest tightened for every question. The track record of people believing Peter when he talked about his internship was lousy at the best of times. Especially when he started name-dropping CEOs, both current and former. “I don’t know if you’d believe me if I told you.” Peter said defeated. 

“Try me.” The man pushed, determined to get to the bottom of this. 

“Tony Stark hired me. I’m his intern.” Peter finally said. 

He saw the reaction coming from miles away. The man was speechless for a moment before bluntly saying “Well, you got me there, kid. I don’t believe you.”

“I have text messages,” Peter pointed to his phone like it was a lifeline. “He was the one that gave me permission to take my friends to the lab.” He pulled out the messages and almost shoved the phone into the man’s face. But both Mrs Warren and Mr Green, according to the plaque on his desk, accepted that the situation couldn’t be helped at this point. 

“Kid… Peter―” Mr Green said defeated, but Peter’s wasn’t done.

“Look. I’ll call him” Peter said and dialled the number without waiting for an answer. The head of security gave him the “you’re not helping your situation” look but before Peter could think about hanging up Tony’s voice sounded over the phone.

“_ What’s up kid? How’s your trip going? _”

“Hey, Mr Stark. It was fine, but there has been a slight... issue.” Peter chose his words carefully.

“_ What kind of issue? And since when do you call me Mr Stark? I thought that we were on first-name basis, you know after the whole almost dying thing. _” 

“Sorry, _ Tony _.” Peter articulated. “The thing is that I went up to the lab with a couple of friends but the security guards found us there, and to make a long story short, they think we broke in.” Peter glanced at the duo across the desk from the corner of his eye. Both wore a perfect poker face. 

“_ But you have to be in the system somewhere. _” Tony said matter-of-factly. 

“Apparently I am not.” Peter said trying to convey the gravity of the situation. 

“_ Ok, hold on, I got this. Don’t go anywhere _” Peter heard some rustling before Tony unceremoniously hung up the phone.

Mrs Warren and Mr Green looked to Peter for an explanation. It was clear that no matter what just occurred the situation remained unchanged. They were still up to their necks in trouble. 

“Okay kid,” Mr Green said and gave the trio a pitying look. “I am still not convinced so unfortunately, we will have to alert the authorities.” The words triggered an avalanche of reactions. Mrs Warren was trying to convince the head of security that the boys were good kids and certainly they meant no wrong. Ned put his heads in his hands and mumbled something along the lines of “my parents will kill me”. Flash looked strangely calm for someone who might end up in a jail cell in a couple of hours, he had his phone out and he was texting someone. His demeanour said “it ain’t my first rodeo” and Peter didn't doubt him. Peter himself got the impression that Tony would come to the rescue, but he also knew that the help will arrive later rather than sooner. The man was supposed to on the other side of the globe. Either way, a talk with May was pending and he would take a round with a mob gang over it any day. 

“Could we just wait a couple of minutes?” It was a last-ditch attempt to buy them some time. “Mr Stark asked that we don’t go anywhere.” 

“I’m really sorry but as per company policy, every break-in has to be reported to the police. If this is in fact a misunderstanding I am sure that the police will clear it up.” Mr Green’s words had a finality to them. There was no arguing themselves out of this one now. “Look, I don’t know you. From what your teacher says I can see that you are good kids, but unfortunately my hands are tied.” 

“They are minors. I am sure that something can be done―” Mrs Warren still persisted no matter how fruitless her efforts might end up being. The office phone interrupted her attempt at a resolution.

“Adam Green… Yes…. Right, who is it?... Are you serious?” Mr Green face went from normal to green then to white in quick succession. The person on the other side wasn’t faring much better based on the sound of their voice. The explanation of this sudden change of spirit walked into the room without knocking, dressed in a shirt and a pair of jeans that probably cost more than anything Peter had ever owned. 

“I got to go.” Mr Green mumbled into the phone before he stood up from his chair and faced his boss’s boss’s boss Tony Stark. Mrs Warren got up as well. Peter thought for a moment that he saw the woman pinch herself. Ned and Flash didn’t even try to hide their astonishment. It was like Jesus walked in. 

Tony as always didn’t bother with introductions. “Adam… can I call you Adam?”. Mr Green nodded, not able to utter a word. They shook hands and Tony started circling the office like a vulture. “Right. It seems that there has been some sort of misunderstanding.” 

“I assume that you are talking about those kids.” Mr Green said and motioned towards the trio of boys. Having seemingly recovered from the shock his voice is steady and clear. _ Good _ , Tony thought, _ it’s easier when they aren’t completely shellshocked _.

Tony came to a stop behind Peter’s chair. “I’m talking about this kid in particular.” He said and let his hands fall on Peter’s shoulders. The startled boy almost jumped out of his chair. “I know that the system is telling you otherwise but the kid is telling the truth. He works for me and since it’s my name on the tower I think it’s safe to say my word is what means the most here.”

“I’m really sorry Mr Stark, he didn’t have any credentials on him―” Mr Green tried to explain. 

“You were just doing your job, Adam,” Tony said with a reassuring smile. “But you know how kids get. Do you have kids?”. The man nodded and motioned towards a picture frame on his desk. “Then I’m sure you know,” Tony continues “They forget everything. What does an access card matter when the phone is nowhere to be found? Or the laptop? Teenagers. Am I right?” He lets out a laugh and Mr Green follows suit. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll personally make sure that it never happens again.” Tony looked at the head of security with a gaze reserved for board meetings only. It has gotten him far in life, let’s see if it could get him further. 

“Sir,” Mr Green looked discouraged. “He still brought strangers into the lab―”.

“I was the one that gave him the green light on that one actually. Guilty as charged.” Tony put his hands up and put on his best “scolded puppy” look. “I should have sent out a memo, but―”

“You’re a busy man.” This time Mr Green interrupted him with a thoughtful look. 

“Exactly, so you understand?”

“So they’re not in trouble?” Mrs Warren spoke up for the first time since Tony entered the room. There was just a hint of hope in her voice. Maybe police involvement could be avoided after all. 

“I’m sorry who are you?” due to her silence Tony barely noticed the woman before now. 

“Monica Warren. I’m their teacher.” 

“Pleasure.” Tony said and the pair shook hands. Mrs Warren’s eyes light up. Peter couldn’t tell whether it was due to being starstruck or due to the possibility that the situation might finally be resolved. 

“So, what do you say, Adam?” Both Tony and Mrs Warren turned their attention to the head of security. Their gazes were full of expectation. 

Mr Green looked between the two of them for a moment before announcing that “Since Mr Stark is willing to vouch for them, I‘m sure we can resolve this without involving the police.”

Flash almost let out a cheer. It died on his lips however when he heard Mrs Warren say in a stern voice “I can assure that they will receive detention for what they did.” The boys were disappointed, even though they knew that getting off the hook was never easy with their teacher. Even Tony looked stunned. “While you didn’t break the law, you still broke the school rules. This field trip is a school activity so those still very much apply. I appreciate that you will vouch for them, Mr Stark. They are good kids and excellent students. I would hate for that to change.”

“You’re right of course.” As was his nature Tony was quick on his feet despite his shocked state. “Actions have consequences. I hear that’s an important lesson to learn.”

“You three should consider yourselves lucky.” The teacher looked at the trio of boys “Instead of spending the rest of your day in a cell you will spend it in detention with Coach Wilson.”

Ned clearly decided to heed her words because he got up and hesitantly walked up to Tony without meeting his eyes. “Thank you so much for helping Mr Stark.” 

“No problem kid. Ed was it?”

“It’s Ned actually.” The boy said a little embarrassed. His embarrassment quickly turned into astonishment when Tony extended his hand.

“Right Ned. Peter has talked a lot about you.” Ned looked up, surprised that _ Tony freaking Stark _was not only shaking his hand but has also heard about him.

“And I’m Flash. It’s Eugene Thompson actually but everyone calls me Flash.” With the crisis averted Flash’s desire to always be the front and centre returned in full force. He reached out his hand for Tony to shake. The man, however, had other plans.

“Yeah, Peter talks about you too.” Tony said. He then promptly ignored Flash’s extended hand and patted the boy’s shoulder. Flash looked way too starstruck to notice the look of displeasure in Tony’s face, but the way he spoke left little doubt in anyone’s mind about what the older man thought of him.

“Thank you so much for you help Mr Stark. On behalf of Midtown Tech, we are incredibly grateful.” Mrs Warren said and Tony reassured her once more that it was no problem _ really _. They bid goodbye to Mr Green and left his office after Tony reassured him that he will personally make sure that the man will keep his job. 

The group made their way to the elevator, but Tony and Peter hung back a little from the rest.

“I am really sorry about this Tony―” Peter was about to go on a whole rant, fortunately, Tony took pity on him.

“Hey it’s no problem, it’s not like your friends over there are a couple of master thieves. At least I hope they’re not.”

“They’re just high school students I promise.”

“Well so are you, but that has never stopped you. I wish it did sometimes though. Why did you bring that Flash kid to the lab anyway? I thought you couldn’t stand him.” Tony scrunched his nose. 

“It’s a long story.”

“No doubt about it. You can tell me this weekend. Bring that Ned kid so you can show him everything without all the sneaking around.”

“That’s a great idea. Wait a minute, what are you even doing in NYC? Shouldn’t you be like in Shanghai or something?” Even with the Iron Man suit, there was no way Tony could reach the opposite side of the globe in minutes.

“Singapore actually. They had to cut it short because half of the people attending came down with flu or something. I landed in New York this morning.” As they were nearing the elevator Tony’s phone dinged. “I’d love to hang out with you but apparently having your name on a building doesn’t excuse you for working in it.”

“Yeah, I have a few good hours of detention waiting for me at school.” Suddenly Peter’s eyes widened in realisation. “Oh god, I have to tell May.” Peter put his head in his hands. Maybe the afternoon in a cell wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

“Say hi from me when you do.” Tony said with a shit-eating grin. Peter mumbled something along the lines of “will do” into his hands. “See you in a couple of days kid,” the man said and gave Peter a side hug before walking away.

Peter got into the elevator with the rest of the group and before the door even closed both Mrs Warren and Flash exclaimed: “How do you know Tony Stark?!”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love it? Hate it? Let me know.

**Author's Note:**

> Like it? Hate it? Let me know.


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